


Juvenile Jive

by Lucky107



Series: Rock 'n' Roll High School [9]
Category: Bully (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Mischief, unlikely friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 13:40:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8058502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky107/pseuds/Lucky107
Summary: He's trying to think about anything that isn't the hard tarmac.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy - 1958

**December, 2006**

Pete exits the dormitory in a slump.

Jimmy's run off again - something about trying to rein in the greaser clique - and as is to be expected, he extended no invitation Petey's way.

Time has taught him that going too far on campus alone, as a student so low in the pecking order, is social suicide and he decides to take a brisk walk to the library.  If nothing else comes of the day, he might at least fit in some cram studying for tomorrow's biology test.

The last person he expects to meet en route to the library is that psychotic greaser girl, An Hoàng, but she's lying in wait when he exits the dormitory.

"You," she says around her cigarette.  Her left eye is swollen and her lip is split.  "C'mon.  We ain't got much time."

In spite of her obvious haste, she offers little explanation about the situation.  _Why does she look so fresh from a fight?_   She leads him across the campus grounds and despite her size, Pete finds himself hurrying just to keep up.  It takes him a moment to find his voice, but when he does, he demands, "What's going on?"

They beeline for the shop garage.

An doesn't say a word as she retrieves her bicycle, but he's a smart cookie and he knows without being told that she expects him to ride double with her.  His stomach does a somersault at the thought.

"It's Jimmy," she says tentatively.  "Things're _real_ bad in New Coventry right now, kid.  He's gonna need ya."

That's all Pete needs to hear to swallow his fear and mount the bicycle behind her.

At first he places his hands onto her shoulders, shy to the thought of touching a perfect stranger - a perfect _female_ stranger - around the waist and stomach, but she chides him.  "That ain't gonna work.  If you don't hold on real tight, you'll fall right off."

So, against his better judgement, Pete settles for her waist and he holds onto An tighter than he's held onto anything in his entire life.

"You ready?"  She asks and he nods, swallowing uncertainty.  "Don't worry 'bout nothin'—you just hold on tight while we're movin', kid."

The take-off is the worst part.

Paying no mind to the snow, she doesn't ease into it:  An kicks off with a lurch and then they're gone.  He lacks the mind to feel embarrassed when he wrenches his scrawny arms tight around her midsection, scared to death by the rush of the world flying by, and he closes his eyes to make it disappear.

He thinks about Jimmy—about Johnny.  He thinks about An's decision to come and find him, about whether or not she had been asked to do it, and then he thinks about Gary.  He thinks about Gary's role in everything, even if he doesn't know what it is precisely, because he's trying to think about anything that isn't the hard tarmac below An's wheels.

"Hold on!"  An hollers over the roar of the wind and Pete doesn't know if it's possible to hold on any tighter than he already is, but he squeezes his arms tight and locks his hands together to avoid letting go.

They're airborne.

Even with his eyes shut his stomach flutters when the contraption leaves the ground.  It feels light, but at the same time it feels heavy and they're suspended in the air for seconds that pass by like minutes.  Once the bike touches down, An slams on the brakes and he's thrown against her back.

It takes some time to unwind from the adrenaline rush, but the first thing he does once he's regained control of his numb appendages is let go of An.

She leans forward on the handlebars with a small sigh of relief and allows him a moment to adjust.

Pete is surprised to discover that she's brought him to the New Coventry Junkyard.  With no offense to An or her friends, the entire neighborhood is a real dump, so it scares him that she would ride him right into the heart of it without warning.

"What's going on?"  He asks, but he makes use of her shoulder for balance as he tries out his shaking legs.  "Why are we at the Junkyard?"

"Jimmy's come 'round lookin' for a fight and if I know Johnny, he's gonna bring the kid here to do it," she explains as she walks the bike to the edge of the lot.  "That's why you gotta make sure Jimmy's not in any real danger."

"Real danger?"

"Johnny's got a mean streak," An offers.  "He don't come here unarmed, but Jimmy ain't gonna be expectin' that.  How we fight ain't like those schoolhouse bullies.  We fight to _win_.  But this here crane, when active, functions as a huge magnet.  I can get ya up there, if ya think ya can operate that crane."

Pete hesitantly asks, "Why are you doing this?"

"Is that what ya think of me?"  Kicking the stand down, she heads back for the towers of crushed cars and scrap metal.  "I like Jimmy—he's an alright kid.  I think he's a fool, comin' out here like this, but that don't mean he needs to _die_ for it."

For the first time since she approached him, Pete realises that he isn't Jimmy's only friend on campus.  An's serious about looking out for him—sabotaging her own leader's odds in his favour—and she's brought him along to help.  Jimmy didn't ask her to; she thought to come to him at the first sign of trouble.

He _was_ a good friend.

"Alright," he resolves.  "Get me up there and I'll see what I can do."


End file.
